This blog is about buying and collecting vintage vinyl records and vintage audio equipment.

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Sunday, February 26, 2012

How to build.....THE BEST RECORD COLLECTION EVER!!!! Part I

It has been a while since I posted anything, my apologies. In any event, I have put together some notes while listening to music over these past months, so I have lots of material for future blogs. With that said, let's get right to it.

There was a time when I had record envy. I would drool when I looked at my friend’s record collections….but not anymore. That’s because I have put together THE BEST RECORD COLLECTION EVER!!!! To achieve this, I purchased records from a variety of places and I will be outlining those sources in subsequent posts. Due to the amount of information I have on this topic, I decided to break these up into a few different posts for easier reading. Here are my thoughts and recommendations as to where to purchase records so that you can build the BEST RECORD COLLECTION EVER !!!

Part 1.

Online…. eBay

The records pictured on this post were purchased on eBay, my preferred online source, and that may come as no surprise to some. With eBay, I have been able to get the hard to find records; and most of them were far less then what they are worth. The large majority of these records more than likely would have never made it to my local record stores or any record stores for that matter. Over the past several years, eBay has given me the opportunity to score some great, highly collectible records. As a result, I have been able to complete my Miles Davis Colombia record label collection, and purchase some of his Prestige and Blue Note recordings too. I have also built an awesome John Coltrane Impulse, Prestige and Blue Note record label collection; and a trippy classic rock quadraphonic record collection just to name a few things. If you have been shopping for anything on eBay then you know what you need to know and what to expect. For those who have done little to no shopping on eBay here’s some of what you need to know.

Know what you are buying before you buy it. Research.. research.. research, online or any where you can get info on records.

Become familiar with the various grading standards used to grade records. Some sellers on eBay make up their own grading system and they list the definitions on their page on eBay. Others use a standard grading system like Goldmine. If the seller does not list a grading for the record and cover, ask them to grade it using standards found online like Goldmine. If they don't grade a record or claim that they can't then I would steer clear of that purchase.

Know who you are buying from before you buy. eBay rates their sellers so I protect myself by only buying from sellers with extremely high ratings.

Know how much it’s worth and perhaps more importantly, how much you are willing to pay for it. Be prepared to spend some money for the records on eBay that are in demand. Collectible records are not cheap on eBay or anywhere for that matter.

Always.. always pay on time. Most sellers give you a max of 3 to 5 days to make payment. If you can, pay on the day the auction closes or before the 3 to 5 day deadline or what ever the deadline is. You will get more respect from sellers that way and it will keep your rating as a buyer very high. In return, the sellers will leave you a favorable testimonial, which is great and it makes you a valued customer.

Don’t be afraid to contact the seller if there is something wrong with the purchase. Sellers value their ratings and standings with eBay. The last thing they want is a negative review so most sellers are willing to resolve problems if nothing but to keep their high rating with eBay…. and you want high ratings as a buyer too so communicate with the seller as much as you can.

Please check out PART II and PART III of How To Build The Best Record Collection Ever. If you have any questions or you would like to comment on this and other blogs please do so. Please select "Follow This Blog" or click the "Sign In" link to follow this blog so that you will be apprised of when I post subsequent blogs; and don't forget to check out my other posts in the Archives.